When We Were Normal
by EternalSorrowOfAngels
Summary: A collection of one-shots set between the events of See You Around and Finding Me, showing the important moments in the lives of the crew of the Normandy and their friends in the aftermath of the Reaper War. Reading Finding Me isn't necessary and most chapters make sense without reading See You Around.
1. Contents

**AN: Every chapter of this fic is going to be a one-shot surrounding the characters of my fics See You Around and Finding Me. They will probably all take place in the years between the two fics and won't be in chronological order. A lot of what goes on might not make sense if you haven't read See You Around but I'm going to try and write it so that isn't the case.**

**This contents page will give you a brief description of the one-shot, a list of main characters and whether or not you have to have read See You Around for it to make sense.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Contents Page**

**1. Shared Demons**

**Kara Shepard returns to the Citadel after ten years, unsure of exactly where her life is heading and unable to deal with the ghosts of her past. But maybe someone else is running too...**

**OC Kara Shepard and OC Lona**

**Reading See You Around is recommended simply so that you know who Kara is.**

**2. Where She Belongs**

**The Normandy picks up an unexpected passenger and EDI is left to decide what to do with her.**

**EDI, Joker, FemShep and OC Sarah**

**Reading See You Around is not necessary.**


	2. Shared Demons

**Purgatory (Citadel) - 2197**

**Ten Years After the End of the Reaper War**

Kara Shepard hadn't returned to the Citadel since it's reconstruction. She hadn't wanted to disturb old ghosts and thankfully Gran had understood and not pushed the matter. She had grown up on these streets but they were different now. She could recognise some of the places she used to sleep as a child but others were completely unfamiliar to her. Familiar or not, all of them held the ghosts of the other, younger Rats that she had promised to look after. And then she had left and they had been killed when the Reapers arrived.

Kara sighed into her drink as she sat at the bar. She was drinking alone but that was how she wanted it. She didn't want to talk about this with her Aunt Jane or Uncle Garrus, or any of her friends on the Normandy. Even Gran, who had taken her in after Aunt Jane had rescued her from those thugs, was shut out from this part of Kara's life. Mostly, she didn't want to seem ungrateful. She owed those people her life and they had accepted her as a part of their family without question. But she still felt responsible for the lives of the other children... She felt as if she had failed them.

_Survivor's guilt._

She knew enough to know the name of what was affecting her so, but that didn't make it any less painful. She had been avoiding it for years, ever since the end of the war. She had returned from Earth with Gran to help refugees and discovered her ability as a nurse. Once things had been rebuilt a little she had returned to school, still remaining on Earth, and she had worked as hard as she possibly could to get the grades and get the qualifications she needed. But sometimes hard work just isn't enough. She was told that she could retake the first year of her degree and try again but she had told them no. She did what she had always done. She ran from her problems. But now she had too many and there was no where left to go. Her options became very clear over the subsequent months; either she tried again or she went back to working at the bakery her gran ran. Neither option was pleasant but her aunt had supplied another; re-open the bakery on the Citadel.

So, here she was. Trying to decide whether to re-open old wounds and rebuild her old life in the place she had once called home or to return to Earth and try again where she had failed. She sighed again, thinking about her plans for the next day and knowing that if she was ever going to make this decision with a clear head then she would have to put old ghosts to rest.

"Hey there, Gorgeous. Mind if I buy you a drink?" A particularly sleazy looking man came up to her and she fixed him with a death glare.

"No thank you." She said curtly and he seemed to take the hint, instead turning to a purple-skinned asari who was walking by.

"How about you, sweetheart?" He asked her and she pulled a disgusted face. He backed off and the asari sighed before approaching Kara, making the blonde woman rolled her eyes.

"I don't mean to inconvenience you but that's the fifth time tonight. I just came here to drink alone but they won't stop bothering me. Do you mind if I sit next to you? I promise I won't hit on you or, you know, otherwise disturb you." The asari said and Kara sighed, unwilling to be impolite.

"It's fine." She said and the asari gave a quick smile before sitting next to her in silence, leaving Kara once again alone with her thoughts.

* * *

The next night Kara returned to Purgatory, wanting to once again drink away her inability to face her past. She had meant to visit the memorial shrine set up for the people who had died aboard the original Citadel, to make sure the duct rats weren't forgotten, but she hadn't managed it.

She had been at the bar for about an hour when the asari from the day before came and sat down next to her. The bartender gave the asari a funny look and shook his head.

"Lona, as much as I love having you here I do wonder why you don't just drink at home if you want to be alone." He said, before turning to Kara. "That goes for you, too." He didn't know her name yet. The asari, Lona, just shrugged.

"Because then I would be a lonely drunk. At least if I go through the motions of going out then it's not so pathetic..." She admitted, voicing Kara's own reasons for being there and not alone in her hotel room.

"Same." Kara said and the asari regarded her, as if truly looking at her for the first time.

"You avoiding the memorial shrine too?" Lona asked her and Kara looked a little startled before nodding.

"Yeah. I guess the ten year anniversary has everyone remembering who they lost, huh?" Kara asked.

"Or who they failed..." The asari muttered so quietly that Kara barely heard her. She nodded before regarding the woman sitting next to her. Lona appeared to be in her maiden stage, still quite young for an asari, but the look in her eyes... it was all too familiar. It was the look of someone who had grown up too quickly, who went through the motions of a normal existence in the hopes of one day forgetting the trials of the past. Hoping the reclaim the childhood you had assumed lost long ago. It was true that Kara had found a normal life with Gran but she had still never felt safe the way other children did. She didn't remember the time before she had lost her innocence as everyone else did.

Everyone, except perhaps, the woman next to her. Not that she was about to talk about any of it, even to this new-found friend. But she didn't remain so silent.

"I'll drink to that." Kara said dryly, raising her glass a little and getting a surprised look followed by a smirk from the asari next to her. "I'm Kara, by the way." The asari nodded.

"Lona. So, what brings you to the imitation of a dead land?" She joked, humourlessly. So, Kara told her. Not about laying ghosts to rest or any of the things she had been avoiding telling everyone else, but about dropping out of university and her decision about whether or not to go back. Lona told her about how she had never cared much for formal education, instead she had joined Eclipse but had taught herself to sew and eventually left the gang once she had enough money to start her own business. They kept talking but not-talking, avoiding the subject that was paining both of them the most and simply enjoying the company of someone else who understood wanting to run from your problems. By the time they had ran out of non-painful stories to tell, they were drunk enough not to care.

"So, your biotics must be pretty good to join Eclipse." Kara said, her words a little slurred, and her drinking companion shook her head.

"No. But I know how to handle a gun. Had to." She stated, somehow managing to slur worse than Kara.

"I never really mastered it. It's a wonder I survived for so long..." Kara muttered and Lona made a mumbling sound of agreement.

"You don't survive the streets of Omega without a gun..." Lona said and Kara's eyes widened a little.

"Omega? Shit, I thought I had it bad on the lower wards..." Kara said and Lona frowned at her.

"You was-" Lona lost her concentration for a moment and Kara smirked a little. The asari looked as if she was about to pass out. "You were a Rat?" She asked and Kara nodded, noticing how close to being sick Lona looked.

"Yeah, and I'll tell you all about it but you look as if you're about to be sick." She pointed out and Lona frowned, her eyes not quite focusing.

"I'm not- I am... Yeah... You might be right..." She managed and Kara sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, let's get you home." She told her, well aware that she wasn't completely sober, either. She paid for the drinks and they got up to leave, Lona stumbling over so that Kara had to catch her and practically carry her out of the bar.

"Donn... get any fun-ny ideeeas." The asari slurred and Kara rolled her eyes as they approached the public transport terminal.

"Wouldn't dream of it." She said, despite her blush. She was sure that it was entirely to do with the alcohol, though and proceeded as if she hadn't just noticed how attractive her new friend was. "So, where's home?" She asked but she didn't get a response. She looked to Lona and found that she had somehow fallen asleep. She wondered how the hell the asari had managed to get so drunk. She had managed to hold her liquor just fine the night before. Kara sighed, trying to decide what to do and sighed once again as she finally decided.

* * *

Lona awoke groggily, trying to remember what she could of the night before.

_I was talking to that woman from the day before... the hot blonde..._

_Goddess, I tried to match her drink for drink..._

_She must have a liver made of iron..._

_Oh Goddess, did I really start talking about Omega?_

_I **never** talk about Omega..._

_I must have been mortal..._

_Wait, where am I?_

She was shocked out of her thoughts by the realisation that she was in a hotel room. She could hear noises from in the bathroom and she cringed as she tried to remember what had happened after she had fallen over in the club... She was pulled out of her thoughts by Kara entering the room fully dressed and showered.

"Good morning. Want some coffee?" She asked as she moved into the kitchen area and Lona found herself unsure of what to say.

"I... uh... sure. No milk." She said, rubbing her eyes. "Wait, we didn't... I mean, I can't remember and..." Kara laughed a little at that.

"I'm not sure what cheesy family vid series you think we're in for us to have sex fully clothed." She said as Lona frowned and realised that she was still dressed. Although her cheeks still turned a slightly darker shade of blue.

"Ah, erm... well... bonding wouldn't... necessarily..." Kara bit back a laugh at that, shaking her head.

"Kinky." She couldn't help but joke. Lona's blush deepened at that and Kara smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. We didn't do anything, I promise. You passed out and I had no idea where you lived. I slept on the couch." She told her and Lona nodded.

"Okay. Good." She said as Kara passed her a mug of coffee. Then she jumped a little as she realised what she had just said. "I didn't... erm... I didn't mean it like that... Sorry..." She said and Kara smiled again.

"Lona, it's fine. I didn't mean it like that either." She admitted, blushing a little as she gulped down her coffee, ignoring how scolding hot it was. Lona blushed as she got up and headed towards the door.

"Okay... Erm, well, thanks... For, you know..." Lona trailed off as she reached the door and Kara simply nodded, unsure of what to say. Lona hesitated for a moment before leaving, quickly turning around and kissing Kara on the cheek, catching her by surprise, before hurrying out of the door. After a few moments Kara realised that she had been holding her breath. She shook her head in disbelief as she realised that she hadn't gotten more than a first name from the woman who had just rushed out of her hotel room.

* * *

Later that morning Kara found herself headed towards the memorial shrine, although she did admit to procrastinating as much as she could. Stopping for every advertisement and news terminal she passed. One in particular caught her eye as it relayed the events of the celebration of the ten year anniversary of the Reaper war that had taken place last night. Kara had never been one for celebrations and so had ignored it but she grinned as the announcement relayed the unexpected appearance of Shepard and Archangel. Last she had heard, her adopted aunt was still undecided about going.

Eventually Kara approached the shrine and took a deep breath as she removed a holo-frame from her bag. It flickered to life, showing the faces of her friends, the kids she had taken it upon herself to protect, smiling up at her. She swallowed back tears, trying to not let the self-blame and grief she had been running from overwhelm her. She took the long steps towards the shrine and placed the frame down, knowing that she had to say goodbye. She had to let them rest.

"I... I know I couldn't have saved you guys." Kara murmured to the picture. "All I could have done was die with you but... Shouldn't I have? I was at the right place at the right time and I got out. I lucked out and you guys... I tried to help I really did. I told that asari woman at Gran's shop and she helped you guys out. You were happy in the end... Things were getting better and then... and then you all died. I _know_ I couldn't have helped but... _dammit_... I should have been here..." She trailed off into a sob. There was nothing to do now but face it. Face the loss. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she whipped around to see Lona standing there with tears in her eyes that were distant with thought.

"They called me El. Or Elo sometimes... Little Daisy always called me Elo..." She trailed off as Kara frowned at her.

"You knew the Rats?" She asked and Lona nodded, unable to speak further. Kara continued to frown, thinking on what she had said.

_El..._

_Elo..._

_Lona..._

_Elona..._

_Why does Elona sound familiar..._

She snapped her head up to meet Elona's eyes as she realised who the asari in front of her was.

"You... You helped them. I told you because I knew when I saw you that you were like me... I told you and you _helped_." Kara said, frowning, as Elona nodded, still unable to say anything.

Neither of them said anything.

Neither of them could.

But they both said their goodbyes to the past...


	3. Where She Belongs

**AN: Reading See You Around is probably not required for this one. :)**

**Disclaimer: The poem used is The Dormouse and the Doctor by A.A. Milne**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Derelict Freighter - 2192**

**Five Years After the End of the Reaper War**

Shepard hadn't really expected to find anyone alive, but she had hoped. When a ship is hit by pirates, they sometimes leave you alive. Unless they try to sell you to slavers. The crew of this ship weren't so lucky.

And neither was the Captain's family.

Garrus approached his bondmate as her sub-harmonics trilled with pain, the only indication of emotion as stood stoical, holding a blood-stained teddy bear. He recognised the human toy as it closely resembled a smaller version of the one Sarah had in her room.

"It's harder now, isn't it, ani?" He said and she nodded.

"Hell, Garrus, it was never _easy_ to see this. Especially not when it happened to kids but... now all I can think of is Sarah. Garrus, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her..." Her voice remained neutral but her sub-harmonics told him that she was distraught at the thought and he removed the bear from her hands before drawing her close.

"Hey, it's okay. Nothing is ever going to happen to Sarah, okay? She has a ship full of bad-asses watching out for her." He said and his wife smiled at him grimly, nodding.

"I know, Garrus. But shit like this..." She trailed off and he nodded, understanding. She felt his empathy through their bond and she smiled again, though it was still grim. "Come on, let's go and see if the others have found anything before Jack kills Vega. I just got him back, I don't want her ripping him to shreds." She tried to joke as they made their way through the ship, but her voice was a little hollow. He kept his arm around her and she leant into him a little. She still didn't usually get close to him on missions but this time she just needed to be reassured. He still had his arm around her when they found EDI.

"Hey, EDI. Where are the other two? Are they fighting again." Shepard asked.

"I suspect they might jump straight to the tie-breaker." Garrus quipped and Shepard frowned at him for a moment before looking a little shocked.

"No! You don't think-? Really? No, there is no... hmm... Okay, well, now I don't want to find out." Shepard said, causing Garrus to chuckle a little, before she turned back to EDI.

"So, EDI? Jack and James? Where are they?" She asked but she was greeted by silence. She frowned and followed the AI's gaze to the bundle in her arms and realised that maybe not everyone on board had perished. "Who's your friend?" Shepard asked softly and EDI shook her head.

"I do not know. I suspect she is the youngest child of the Captain." EDI said, surprising Garrus with the softness in her synthetic voice but Shepard just nodded.

"We... we found the rest of her family in that case. It isn't good. I don't think anyone else on board survived." Shepard told her and EDI nodded before turning to her slowly.

"Shepard, I think it would be best if you handle the child. You have the most experience after all." EDI said but Shepard shook her head as she regarded the resting baby. She was awake but she seemed calm, despite all of the death around her.

"You're doing just fine, EDI. I think she likes you." Shepard said, smiling reassuringly, as Jack and James arrived.

"This place is a graveyard, Lola. There's no one left." James told her and she nodded.

"Garrus and I have downloaded the flight logs and other data. I guess there's nothing left to do but contact the authorities." She said, shrugging as EDI continued to hold the small child in her arms.

* * *

When they arrived back at the ship, they were greeted by a small figure with folded arms giving them an accusatory glare.

"You promised you would be back before bedtime." Sarah told them and Shepard sighed.

"There's still a few minutes until bedtime, sweetie. And _you_ promised to be good while we were away. You're not in your pyjamas so I can only assume you've not been listening." She said as Joker spun around to greet them.

"I tried but it's not as if I can go and chase her around." Joker said and Shepard rolled her eyes as Garrus picked up his daughter.

"Come on, I'll get you ready for bed." He said and she nodded.

"Will you read me a story?" She asked and he sighed.

"Only a short one." He warned and Sarah grinned at him as Shepard beamed at them both. As soon as they left, EDI entered with the baby and Joker gave her a questioning look.

"What's with the kid?" He asked and Shepard shrugged.

"We found her on the ship. Poor bairn is orphaned now. I'm going to contact the authorities and try to find her family. Can I trust the two of you to look after her? Garrus and I have our hands full with Sarah." She said and Joker nodded as EDI handed him the little bundle.

* * *

Shepard decided to stop by Sarah's room before she started her hunt for the baby's family, standing just by the door and watching her husband and daughter as he tucked her into bed, next to Big Bear.

"Story time!" She said and he grinned.

"What's the magic word?" He said and her sub-harmonics trilled with apology.

"Please can you read me a story, Daddy?" She asked again and he kept grinning as he opened the large green book by the bed. He was no longer slow at reading the Latin alphabet, barely relying on his visor to tell him the sounds of letters any more.

"Okay, here's a short one. Just like I promised.

"There once was a Dormouse who lived in a bed  
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),  
And all the day long he'd a wonderful view  
Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).

A Doctor came hurrying round, and he said:  
'Tut-tut, I am sorry to find you in bed.  
Just say 'Ninety-nine' while I look at your chest...  
Don't you find that chrysanthemums answer the best?'

The Dormouse looked round at the view and replied  
(When he'd said 'Ninety-nine') that he'd tried and he'd tried,  
And much the most answering things that he knew  
Were geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).

The Doctor stood frowning and shaking his head,  
And he took up his shiny silk hat as he said:  
'What the patient requires is a change,' and he went  
To see some chrysanthemum people in Kent.

The Dormouse lay there, and he gazed at the view  
Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue),  
And he knew there was nothing he wanted instead  
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red).

The Doctor came back and, to show what he meant,  
He had brought some chrysanthemum cuttings from Kent.  
'Now _these_,' he remarked, 'give a _much _better view  
Than geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).'

They took out their spades and they dug up the bed  
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),  
And they planted chrysanthemums (yellow and white).  
'And _now_,' said the Doctor, 'we'll _soon _have you right.'

The Dormouse looked out, and he said with a sigh:  
'I suppose all these people know better than I.  
It was silly, perhaps, but I _did _like the view  
Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).'

The Doctor came round and examined his chest,  
And ordered him Nourishment, Tonics, and Rest.  
'How very effective,' he said, as he shook  
The thermometer, 'all these chrysanthemums look!'

The Dormouse turned over to shut out the sight  
Of the endless chrysanthemums (yellow and white).  
'How lovely,' he thought, 'to be back in a bed  
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red.)'

The Doctor said, 'Tut! It's another attack!'  
And ordered him Milk and Massage-of-the-back,  
And Freedom-from-worry and Drives-in-a-car,  
And murmured, 'How sweet your chrysanthemums are!'

The Dormouse lay there with his paws to his eyes,  
And imagined himself such a pleasant surprise:  
'I'll _pretend _the chrysanthemums turn to a bed  
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red)!'

The Doctor next morning was rubbing his hands,  
And saying, 'There's nobody quite understands  
These cases as I do! The cure has begun!  
How fresh the chrysanthemums look in the sun!'

The Dormouse lay happy, his eyes were so tight  
He could see no chrysanthemums, yellow or white.  
And all that he felt at the back of his head  
Were delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red).

_And that is the reason (Aunt Emily said)_  
_If a Dormouse gets in a chrysanthemum bed,_  
_You will find (so Aunt Emily says) that he lies_  
_Fast asleep on his front with his paws to his eyes._" At that Garrus closed the book as he watched his daughter curl up to her bear, that she was just barely bigger than.

"Night Daddy." She said as he got up to leave.

"Night, Sarah. See you in the morning." He said as he approached his grinning wife.

"That was always my favourite growing up." She admitted to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So, how's the new arrival doing?" Garrus asked and Shepard sighed.

"Fine. I put EDI and Joker in charge of looking after her. EDI seems quite taken with her." She observed and Garrus nodded.

"I'd say it was maternal instincts but..." He trailed off and Shepard nodded.

"Well, if she can handle being Joker's wife, I don't see why she can't handle being a mother as well." Shepard reasoned before sighing. "Anyway, I'm going to try and find her family now but in the meantime I think we should get out Sarah's old cot. I figure she can share her room until we get this baby back home." She said but Garrus pulled a face.

"That may not be the best idea. You know how turians are territorial?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yeah... So?" She asked and he sighed a little.

"Getting turian children to share a room is never a good idea. Sarah may not take too kindly to someone invading her space." Jane just shook her head at that.

"Garrus, turian or not she has to learn to share. That room is huge and I'm sure she won't mind the company. If she doesn't like it then tough." She said and Garrus sighed.

"You know that this is why I'm the fun parent, right?" He asked and she hit him, lightly.

"Baka." She murmured, smiling at him. "Although, I do worry that Sarah is going to have some weird childhood memories." She said, indicating to the fact that Garrus was still in armour, with his sniper rifle still strapped to his back.

"Growing up on this ship, I'm sure it's inevitable." He said and she nodded in agreement although he could still feel a little worry in her.

"What is it, ani?" He asked and she shook her head as he pulled her close to him.

"Just little things. She's still a little small for her age..." She said and Garrus shook his head.

"Not for a turian, ani." He pointed out and she nodded.

"I know. Although she has been looking a little more human the older she gets. I was thinking that if we cut her hair into a fringe and got her some baggier clothes she might be able to come with us on supply runs. I know she hates it when we leave her on board..." Shepard mused and Garrus nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. But you can think about it more, tomorrow. You need some sleep." She smiled, remembering the days during the Reaper war when he would often have to pull her from her work to make her rest, as he traced her blue markings with his fingers.

"I can't. I have to try and find the baby's family." She said, moving to pull away but Garrus kept his hold on her.

"Then I'll help you." He said, his fingers still lightly tracing her markings, making her blush a little.

"You'll only distract me..." She managed to argue and he smirked as he pulled her as close as he could with his armour in between them.

"Maybe that's the point..."

* * *

The next morning Shepard left the war room exhausted, her search for any remaining family turning up no results. From what she gathered everyone who cared about the child had died on that ship. She approached the cockpit to find Joker sleeping in the pilot's chair with the child sitting in his lap, trying to eat his cap. Shepard smiled at that as she regarded the small girl. She looked about a year old and Shepard wondered if she had any idea of what had happened to her family. She turned to EDI, who was sitting in her usual spot in the co-pilots chair and watching the small child, and indicated that she wanted to speak with her in the CIC. The AI frowned a little at the thought of having to leave the cockpit, but complied. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have with a faceless terminal.

"EDI, I can't find any family." She told her friend and she nodded.

"I know. Shepard, please keep trying. The care systems are still overrun with orphans from the Reaper war. There is no where else for her." The AI pleaded and Shepard regarded her carefully.

"I will, EDI, but we have to accept the very likely possibility that we won't find anything. We need to decide what we're going to do if that's the case." EDI frowned at that.

"We cannot just leave her." EDI said and Shepard nodded.

"I would never suggest that, EDI." She said before thinking of something. "Hey, remember that conversation we had back during the Reaper war, just after I had released the Rachni queen, about certain behaviours you had noticed in myself and the doctor?" EDI nodded.

"Of course." EDI said and Shepard folded her arms, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I want you to compare those behaviours to your own and Joker's since we brought the baby on board." The AI tilted her head a little at her results, giving the commander a questioning look. "You both seem quite taken with her. So, if we can't find her family and you decide that this is where she belongs then this is where she will stay." Shepard said and EDI nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. They were interrupted by Liara walking into the room with Sarah jumping up and down next to her.

"Mummy! Aunt Lara made me breakfast and it was yummy! You should have had some!" She jumped up and down again and Shepard raised an eyebrow at Liara as she picked her daughter up.

"Uh-huh, let me guess, she made you Thessian pancakes with extra sugar?" She asked and Sarah nodded, causing Shepard to sigh.

"At the rate this crew spoils you, you'll have no teeth left." She joked before turning to Liara. "You know that if she gets too hyper I'm just going to stick her in your room, right?" She said, only joking a little, as she moved with EDI towards the cockpit where Joker had finally woken up.

"Mummy, why has Daddy got my cot out?" She asked and Shepard smiled at her.

"Well, we have someone who is going to be staying with us for a while. She's going to have to share your room with you." Sarah frowned a little at that. "I'm trusting you to look after her." Shepard told her daughter whose frown lifted at her new sense of responsibility, causing Jane to grin as they approached the cockpit. Joker was playing with the baby, who still had his cap in her mouth.

"She seems to like you, Joker." Shepard said and the pilot shrugged.

"I guess I'm just good with kids." He replied as Sarah motioned to be let down and Shepard put her down next to the pilot's chair and watched as she looked at the baby excitedly.

"You know, we should probably give her a name while she's on board. She's a spacer and the ship's records were damaged enough for me to not get her name." Shepard said.

"Jeff already has a name for her." EDI pointed out and Shepard gave him a questioning look. He sighed a little.

"That wasn't- I wasn't trying to name her or anything. It was just a reflex." Shepard raised an eyebrow at that.

"So, what did you call her?" She asked and he sighed again.

"I used to look after my sister a lot when I was a teenager and then this little tyke starts squirming and I called her Hillary." He admitted sheepishly and Sarah spoke up.

"She likes it." She said. "She likes you, too." She told them before Shepard picked her up again. She protested a little but didn't object out loud.

"Okay, well, I'm going to try and find the baby's family and I'm sure Sarah can help. And anyway, you two need to think about what I said." Shepard said to EDI before walking off with Sarah.

* * *

In the early hours of the next morning EDI sat in the mess hall thinking. She and Jeff had still not come to a decision about what to do with the baby. Jeff seemed to want to keep it but EDI wasn't sure... she lacked the maternal instincts of organics and worried that she would not be able to raise a child. She used her cameras in Sarah's room to watch the two of them sleeping, making sure that Sarah did not object too strongly to her space being invaded.

After a while Sarah awoke and EDI expected her to simply leave the room as she often did when she woke up. Instead she walked over to the cot and frowned a little at it before climbing up and into it. EDI wondered what she was doing but didn't enter the room as she watched Sarah move carefully so as not to wake the baby as she climbed into the cot next to her and curled up beside her. Not touching her but still watching over her protectively like an older sister.

That was when EDI decided that this was indeed where Hillary belonged...


End file.
